Getting Involved Why people take part in social movements

Getting Involved Why people take part in social movements People who are interested in politics can engage in movements as sympathizers, elders, and contributors. There are several reasons why people take part in social movements.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Getting Involved: Why people take part in social movements specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For instance, some people advocate for women’s rights and the guidelines protecting consumers as well as environment, urge for the termination of lynching, demand for the right of unions formation among workers, and request for federal minimum salaries and advanced income tax. In other instances, social movements are aimed at demanding for proper housing, health care, work leaves, and appropriate insurance plans (Harper Leicht, 2011). It is worth noting that the politically ambitious people can end up as critical socialists, ultimate dreamers, or unreasonable visionaries. There are several theories regarding social movements, which aim at exploring the key drive towards collective behavior. It is imperative to note that every stratum of the society has social movements. Moreover, people consider the available options and engage in decision making before joining a particular social movement. For joining a successful social movement, there has to be continuous mobilization of resources. Resources include plans, followers, and funds. These resources are extremely important for the social movement to fulfill its goals (Harper Leicht, 2011). Social movements compete for the members for a number of reasons. While competing for the followers, social activists end up competing against each other for finite resources. A successful social movement has strategic ways of acquiring resources and mobilizing the followers. Not once was I requested by a movement organization to donate funds to and engage in advocating for a particular issue. This was common at university where the students engage in a number of social movements. In my opinion, it is imperative for an individual to scrutinize the social movement before joining it. Some social movements have questionable ambitions. Others gather resources for the benefit of their own interests (Harper Leicht, 2011). Consequently, they use a particular voiceless group in the society to push for their agendas. I once joined a movement that was advocating for better care of people residing in slums and having HIV/ AIDS.Advertising Looking for research paper on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This was done after a comprehensive research on that movement to establish that it was genuine. I also attended one of the events and saw the deprived conditions these people were living in. Some movements were appealing. However, there were barriers that contributed to my infrequent attendance. A majority of the people in the society negatively view social movem ents. My friends discouraged me to join that movement since they shared negative opinion about it. Consequently, our friendship suffered as we were always arguing about my involvement in that social movement. Some social movements can be regarded as repulsive if campaigns are turned into movements. Charities play a key role in facilitating the development of campaigns into movements (Harper Leicht, 2011). However, when movements are sincerely driven by its supporters and have a genuine purpose, they do not interfere in society’s activities. Some movements use online activism, which involves using social sites to attract the followers. Using offline activism generates a sense of passion and momentum. Genuine movements should consider the option of using online services for gaining public. However, strategic measures have to be taken to ensure that people do not speculate the movement. Moreover, the movement using social networking services should consider that not everybody u ses Twitter and Facebook. Reference Harper, C.L., Leicht, K.L. (2011).Exploring social change: America and the world (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Passing the Buck Slip

Passing the Buck Slip Passing the Buck Slip Passing the Buck Slip By Maeve Maddox The other day I received a letter that directed me to refer to an enclosed buck slip. Id never heard the expression, but I figured out that what was meant was a printed insert. Apparently this term, along with lift note, is common in the world of direct mailing: theres really very little difference between a buckslip and a lift note except that a lift note is generally written as a mini-letter. Buckslips can be any sort of additional insert. I wondered where the expression got its name. Could it be that the buck slip was called that because it was about the size of a dollar bill? Other questions bubbled up. Why is buck another name for dollar? And why does passing the buck mean avoiding responsibility? Heres where the questions led. The word buck to mean a dollar may come from the use of buckskins as articles of trade. Answer.coms definition of buckslip (spelled as one word), a small insert added to a mailing package; it is usually about the size of a dollar bill implies that the name may derive from the buck/dollar connection. Merriam-Webster, however, favors a different origin, defining buck slip (two words) as 1. a routing slip used especially in military offices to indicate the persons to whom the attached material is to go and usually the kind of action to be taken with such material and 2. an object formerly used in poker to mark the next player to deal or to deal a jackpot, the winner of each jackpot placing the buck in front of him; especially : a buckhorn-handled knife used for this purpose According to J.W. Keller, author of Draw Poker (1887), The buck is any inanimate object, usually knife or pencil, which is thrown into a jack pot and temporarily taken by the winner of the pot. Whenever the deal reaches the holder of the buck, a new jack pot must be made. According to a site called Dutch’s English Language Oddity Clearing House: Some card games use a marker called a buck. Players take turns acting as dealer with the buck marking the current dealer. When the buck is passed to the next player, the responsibility for dealing is passed. The buck slip as routing list explains the expression to pass the buck. Before email, when someone at work wanted everyone to see the same message, one copy of the message was sent around with a list of recipients. Each recipient checked or crossed off his name and passed it on. The person who passed the buck slip on without checking his name could claim he wasnt responsible for knowing what was in the memo. When President Harry S Truman placed a sign that said The Buck Stops Here on his desk in the Oval Office, he was assuring his staff that he would take responsibility for all problems that came to his attention. I dont know that any of that really explains buck slip as a term for a mailing insert, but it was an interesting exploration. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Compared "to" or Compared "with"?Dawned vs. Donned10 Tips to Improve Your Writing Skills

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 19

Leadership - Essay Example According to a definition cited by Stanley (2005, p.108), a clinical leader is a leader who holds quantifiable medical and scientific skills, knowledge and proficiency in nursing practice and one who employs the use of interpersonal proficiency to facilitate provision of quality care by nurses and other care providers. There are also other factors that are used in explicating nursing leadership. Further explication by Stanley (2005, p.109) asserts that excellence in clinical practice coupled with provision of a conducive or positive environment that empowers nurses are fundamental elements of nursing leadership. Another definition of nursing leadership asserts that a nurse leader is "A nurse directly involved in providing clinical care that continuously improves care through influencing others" (Stanley, 2005, p.109). In extrapolation, this definition of a nurse leader shows that it is not a prerequisite for nurse leaders to be higher-ranking officials in nursing practice. In other w ords, a nurse can be a leader despite the position held. There are a number of leadership theories that in essence categorises leadership. One of these theories is denoted by Curtis, Vries and Sheerin (2011, p.307) to include trait theory. This theory focus primarily on individual characteristics that facilitate leadership. The second theory is referred to as the behaviour approach that expounds leadership in a leaders viewpoint and in fact spotlights on leadership behaviours (Curtis, Vries and Sheerin, 2011, p.307). The third theory is the contingency approach that views leadership in the context of the interface and communication between a leader, existing circumstances and his or her actions (Curtis, Vries and Sheerin, 2011, p.307). Fourthly is the transformational theory that spotlights on the association or connection between a leader and his or her employees (Curtis, Vries and Sheerin, 2011, p.307). Though all the leadership theories and styles

Philosphy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Philosphy - Essay Example The difference must be made between the case of Osma Bin Laden, and a murder case occasioned by an instant passion. Death Penalty should be abandoned. However, the time for the idea to get realized would be decided by healthy social conditions. Theories of Punishment In its Hammurabi’s sense the retribution stands for letting punishment fit the crime as eye for an eye, or hand for a hand, or life for a life. There is no place in this conception for replacing the consequence of crime with any thing other than the nature of committed crime. For Utilitarians, however, punishment should look for consequences resulting through the incurring of punishment. The Utilitarians put forward Deterrent and Reformative punishment theories. Deterrent means to punish others in order to deter from committing crime. It may be expressed in a dictum of a judge, â€Å"you are not punished for stealing sheep, but in order that sheep may not be stolen (Mackenzie 374).† This theory is oppressiv e in nature and considers human being as a thing. The Reformative theory of punishment emphasizes on changing the structure and thought of human being, compulsory volunteer service and social services are the examples of this theory. Retribution as connection between Punishment and Guilt Retributive theory of punishment aims to make a return of a man’s deed upon his own head. For Mackenzie, the aim of Retribution is to make it apparent that the evil consequences of his acts are not merely evils to others, but evils in which he is himself involved. Retributive theory therefore emphasizes upon facing the similar consequences as that of the committed crime. Being different from the other two theories, and often interpreted in its literal meaning, the important meanings of this theory remain hidden. The aim of retribution is to make connection between punishment and guilt, that is, to develop a sense of guilt regarding the crime. Retribution as expression of Moral outrage There i s an aspect and meaning of retribution that becomes operative in certain situation in order to try to answer the question whether some social phenomenon should be punished because it is violating the moral order of the society? Morality works upon the defined and prevailed conception of human being and the owned world-view, this may include religious position. The retributive theory, understood in its literal sense, may operate to curb the increase of a social phenomenon endangering the social moral order, and thus may operate as a utilitarian principle. For example, the increase of the crime rate in juvenile may trigger an operation against such groups to keep control of social moral order. Popular Instinct Retribution may be seen through the upsurge of popular instinct. In this situation, the need to go deep into the reality, and placing event within discursive world, does not play a role. The popular instincts decide retributively the punishment for the crime. For example, a rape of a female in a village may invoke a popular reaction that results into a strict punishment. In this situation, no other shade of retribution will be looked upon. Purely retributive justification It is difficult to understand the concept pure, as it may mean going back directly to Hammurabi’s literal intention and may mean understanding retribution only in the sense of an eye for an eye and

Vaux-le-Vicomte Essay Example for Free

Vaux-le-Vicomte Essay Architecture is the style of art in which spatial configuration is most important. The way in which the body of the building situates itself on the landscape, the way in which the building rises and falls with the horizon and the way in which Vaux-le-Vicomte’s facade and garden is what this essay will seek to explore. The Vaux-le-Vicomte is located in Maincy, was built in 1656-1661, with the intention of housing artists/poets/writers by the parliamentarian/financial secretary of France. The essay will focus on the element of light as it applies to the chateaux as well as how the building can be considered a Baroque masterpiece (Blunt 108). The basis of the Vaux-le-Vicomte’s design was a castle. The building actually an offshoot of a castle which explains its grand design. Three men are attributed to the design of the Chateau, which was purchased by Nicolas Fouquet: The architect Le Vau, the painter/decorator Le Brun, and the landscape artist Le Notre (Vaux-le-Vicomte 2008). The structure of the once castle turned into one of the â€Å"predominant chateau’s of France† (Sitwell 100) begins with the Baroque age architecture. Baroque architecture is known for its lavish nature, its supreme accoutrements to buildlings increasing in size and grandeur and the culmination of which is seen in Vaux-le-Vicomte. The elements which define the Baroque era in art and which are exemplified in Vaux-le-Vicomte are fanciful, extravagant and theatrical, each of which are extremely dominant in the facade of the chateaux with the dome, in the spire/gazebo atop the dome and the high windows with Corinthian columns as a faux facade to the architecture. Baroque art was in opposition to the previous artistic movement of the Renaissance in many ways. The Baroque era was the flowering of the Renaissance in different ways: While the Renaissance was static the Baroque had a certain dynamism or movement in their architecture. The Baroque style and the fact that the castle was redesigned into a grand chateaux had a lot to do with the expansion of France in the 1600’s. This is when colonization was very popular and strong and nationalistic monarchs such as Louis the VIIII were pressed into creating such grand scale items in order to prove their powerful positions. The imprisonment of Nicolas Fouquet in fact had to do with him outshining the king during a royal visit to the chateaux. The focus of the Baroque movement can be found with the scientist Galileo. Galileo changed how people see the world around them and thus their place in the world. Space of universe becomes fascinating aspect of Baroque art. Light becomes just as fascinating and symbolism of light and scientific point of view can be seen through the architecture of Vau-le-Vicomte, in the way the windows are situated in the building to the way in which the sun’s reflection from the rivers and the fountains plays upon the building itself. The theme of Baroque art is sensuality with emotion; thus there must be passion in the architecture (despite the Catholic Church’s resistance to such design avenues). Thus, the chateaux was in defiance of religious points of view (which also attributed to Nicolas’ imprisonment) as well as supporting this new scientific outlook on the world while also encapsulating light/sun as a main architectural element of the building (Wolf 45). The truly beautiful and Baroque encompassing element of the chateaux is it’s wide garden space. This space truly sees Galileo’s philosophy of the scientific point of view and one’s relationship with the outer design of things in the gardens pure geometrical forms made with bushes, fountains, walkways and more. Le Vau designed the house to have a pavilion which is in turn surrounded by wings. The crowning achievement of Le Vau is found with the cupola which is extravagant in itself as it is the highest point of the chateaux and therefore the first symbol anyone sees upon coming up to the once castle (McCarthy 3). As well as the copula there is also a pedimented entranceway found on the front of the chateaux – thus the design aspect of the outside of the house if dichotomized in a relaxed form as well as a formal form. This dichotomized nature, â€Å"This dual personality, severely formal on one side, grandiloquent on the other, was repeated in the treatment of its walls. Originally designed in brick, then altered, presumably at Fouquets request, to Creil stone, a concave recession pulls the visitor inward toward the great entrance vestibule, then thrusts him through the immense airy space of the saloon out to the garden terrace† (Shama paragraph 16). It is from this formal standpoint of the raised threshold that the spectator can see the vibrant and lush design of Le Notre. Le Notre’s design encapsulates everything Baroque: The pattern of the plants (i. e. hedges, shrubs, etc. ) there is a distinct nature of lavishness mixed with formality (as is the Baroque style). The element of water and subsequently light is essential in the portrayal of Baroque in the garden, â€Å"The play of water intersects the view, not with the furious drama of the Versailles fountains, but rather the more modest gushing of cascades and drowsy pools where water trickles from lichen-mottled stone mouths. Indeed, the whole house seems elevated on a platform or pedestal so that it appears to be not so much surrounded by a moat as actually floating on a body of limpid water. † (Shama paragraph 17). Another interesting element of the chateaux’s gardens is how very similar in construction it is to Frank Lloyd Wrights’ Falling Water house in Pennsylvania, and how conscious both landscape architects were to the landscape itself; from the horizon to the way in which the water reflected the sun on the facade of the chateaux; the viewer can tell that there was much thought in the placement of each water pool, and fountain (even with Nicolas’ diversion of the river by 45 degrees in order to have such spectacular natural architecture). The design of the gardens by Le Notre is so very singular in its approach and cohesive because Nicolas gave the landscape architect free rein over the garden. The word cohesion is used appropriately here as the entire estate would not have worked well if several gardeners were employed by Nicolas; the design would have been flawed because not every landscape artist can build with unification along with other designers; thus the design process by one ‘gardener’, Le Notre, is so important to the lasting impression of the chateaux. As has been mentioned the beauty of the landscape was achieved through harmony of the building and nature working as a combined force of Baroque architecture. The three architects of the chateaux, architect Le Vau, the painter/decorator Le Brun, and the landscape artist Le Notre, worked as a combined force of Baroque artistry as described by Shama, The result is a pleasing comedy of the unexpected: the house suddenly appearing in its inverted reflection in a mirror pool; steep escarpments that are abruptly made accessible with hidden flights of steps; teasing games of freedom and captivity made more poignant by the inescapable ghost of Superintendent Fouquet. From the stepped terrace at the back of the house, the frame of the great Oriental rug-garden is delineated by white pathways punctuated with mercilessly pruned conical topiary and statues of lions and tigers, the Graces and various deities. Within those borders, low hedges weave embroidery patterns that echo the curves and angles of the house itself. (Shama paragraph 19). Even the way in which the pathways are cut according to exact geometric measurements is breathtaking. The elements of mythology mix in with the complete design of the garden especially as the visitor goes from the promenade to the central allee and back into the grotto. It is this space in the garden that the nature of mythology and the extravagance that the Baroque period is best-known for come into fruition. The grotto is lorded over by two river god statues who are in a reclining mode carved within two niches. In the actual park, past the two reclining gods the viewer sees other elements of the Baroque mixed in with mythology such as little fountain or ‘water grille’ in which woodland deities romp around. It is at this point in Le Notre’s design that the active viewer begins to see how he had some fun with his design, â€Å"The ground drops sharply away toward a rectangular reflecting pool. Advance farther and another barrier interposes itself: a broad lateral canal, uncrossable, as elegant in form as its name, poele (frying pan), is homely. To reach the river gods requires another walk around the canals perimeter† (Shama paragraph 20). This essay has shown how the unification of landscape with construction has lead to one of the Baroque era’s finest accomplishments in architecture: Vaux-le-Vicomte. The design of the gardens could not have been exemplified as the genius that it is without the facade of the chateaux as well as the partnership between each architect (Wolf 67). The elements of water and light played an important role in the overall design in that they allow the chateaux the illusion of floating on water which adds that element of a fairy tale or otherworldliness which is further emphasized by the architects inclusion of various statues around the grounds of wood nymphs and river gods. Thus, the extravagance of the Baroque era is found in an enormous amount in Nicolas Fouquet’s chateaux. Works Cited Blunt, A. Art and Architecture in France: 1500 – 1700. Penguin Books. 1953.McCarthy, G. The Theatres of Moliaere. Routledge. 2002. Shama, S. Palaces and Pleasures: Vaux-le-Vicomte: A Perfect Chateaux Envied by a King. 20 October 1991. Online. 2 April 2008. http://query. nytimes. com/gst/fullpage. html? res=9D0CE1DB1E3FF933A15753C1A967 58260sec=spon=pagewanted=all Sitwell, S. and Smith, E. Great Houses of Europe. Putnam. 1961. Vaux-le-Vicomte. 2008. Online. 2 April 2008. http://www. vaux-le-vicomte. com/en/vaux images-chateau. php. Wolf, J. Louis the XVI. W. W. Norton. New York. 1968.

The Home and Personal Values Essay -- House Home Environment Essays

The Home The townhouse, a clean, concise, convenient, cookie-cut, carbon copy of society’s solution to the home. In today’s society of â€Å"Big Apples†, â€Å"Windy Cities† and â€Å"Cities of Angels†, the home has been lost under stacks of green paper. The heart of the home is being choked by the fast-paced materialism that pushes the individual into a heart attack of conformity. Society has become a speed addict for production, wanting bigger, more, and faster in the pursuit for the better. This â€Å"better† is often short-lived and quickly replaced. This cycle of replacement needs to end with a solving reinvention that will allow human life to breathe and be comfortable within its own skin. Lives are to be lived not viewed. To do this people need to break the mold that society is mass-producing and live life for themselves and up to their own standards of success and not follow the blue-print of the government’s bureaucratic and aristocra tically favored system and ideals. The home should be a saran wrap covering of comfort, security, peace and enjoyment to be shared by and with loved ones. To often in today’s world the lines between business and personal have almost been blurred into oblivion. These are one of the issues that need to be stopped or altered so as to return the house to a home. The home is the outermost layer of a person’s skin. It breathes, absorbs, settles and changes just as the people that dwell inside of it do. Inside this slowly commercialized dwelling often resides incomplete individuals who attempt to fill this incompleteness; usually with materialistic vices. The biggest of these perpetrators are â€Å"name-brand† overpriced fashion labels whose only use is to deplete the individual’s wealth and morals. People ... ...p well before the age that they should. Children must be raised not watched. Guardians need to take a more active role in their child’s life; for lack of it could be detrimental to the child in the future, i.e. the lack of one. The h.o.m.e, a Humans Originally Made Environment, should be full of comfort, peace, and security. These are the first brick to be laid in any home and should begin every life. For houses to return to the state of homes a shower of truth must wash away all of the superficial and self-blocking things that tend to make people forget the simple things and sometimes the most important things in life. It is time to stand up and break the mold that has crushed and conformed the human spirit into a lifeless robot of things without substance. The latter can never be a substitute for the essentials that are needed for a happy, healthy life.

“High Fidelity”- Character anaysis Essay

Rob is a morose person who needs this excuse to always complain. He’s a very pessimistic person, who can’t seem to find a positive outlook in anything. Rob is also a very self-conscious person who is not content with himself. He believes that he lacks in the areas he views as important in his life. He depends on his woman to keep him happy, and judges his life according to the woman he’s with. He simply can’t manage to be happy without one. His unhappiness drives him to be very critical and judgmental to the world around him. He makes a jerky remark to everything he notices. All and all Rob has a weak character which depends on other things rather than himself to be happy. Rob seems to be a very pessimistic person. He sees everything in a negative fashion because he is not content with his life, and assumes it is impossible for things to improve. Once Rob returns home after seeing Marie sing with another man, he feels depressed and turns to his records for some sort of reassuring escape: Is it so wrong, wanting to be home with your record collection? It’s not like collecting records is like collecting stamps, or beermats, or antique thimbles. There’s a whole world in here, a nicer, dirtier, more violent, more peaceful, more colorful, sleazier, more dangerous, more loving world than the world I live in; there is history, and geography, and poetry, and countless other things I should have studied at school, including music. (Hornby, 83) Rob seems to feel as though his records are the only thing he can rely on. Everyone has some sort dependence on certain sentimental things, be it a pet, friend or family member. In Rob’s case, his music is the only constant that will never let him down. He sees a whole different world inside his music, one which doesn’t value the real world’s standards or values. It brings him somewhere else for a bit, somewhere which doesn’t remind him of the depressing things in his life. It seems to me that with those discouraging thoughts it drives him to be very pessimistic. Without even  talking to Marie he assumed right off the bat that she was going to hook up with the man she was singing with. He didn’t even try to show he cared in the least. His pessimism led him to give up on Marie very quickly, without even looking at the possible positive side. These actions show he has a very pessimistic outlook on life which is driven by his low self-esteem. Rob also seems unsatisfied with himself. Too inadequate to be happy in a world where he feels he doesn’t belong. I’m here , in this stupid little flat, on my own, and I’m thirty-five years old, and I own a tiny failing business, and my friends don’t seem to be friends at all but people whose phone numbers I haven’t lost. And if I went back to sleep and slept for forty years and woke up without any teeth to the sound of Melody Radio in an old people’s home, I wouldn’t worry that much, because the worst of life, i.e., the rest of it, would be over. And I wouldn’t even have had to kill myself. (74) Rob looks at every aspect of his life and feels so insufficient that he doesn’t even see the reason for living. He feels like he has no substance in his life. From having no true friends, to a failing job. All the characteristics that he values to be a person worth living, have failed him. I think his mother plays an important role in Rob’s low self -esteem as she even degrades him and offers him no support. She doesn’t even comfort him after the break-up with Laura, yet just criticizes and tells him that she â€Å"would have left [him] to get on with it years ago.† (48) She demeans his job, and adds to his low self-confidence. Parents are supposed to be supportive in times of unhappiness. Parents are the people who are supposed to love unconditionally, but in Rob’s case it seems that they only regard the negative aspects of his life which definitely cannot improve his situation. He feels so inadequate because he has no one to turn to or depend on. He wants to â€Å"run [himself] down, feel sorry for [himself], celebrate [his] inadequacies†. (72) Rob depends on a woman to keep him happy. He believes his woman defines him as a person, and each time he is without one he is miserable. Sometimes it seems as though the only way a man can judge his own niceness, his own decency, is by looking at his relationships with women- or rather, with prospective or current sexual partners. (68) He judges himself according to the woman he’s affiliated with. He doesn’t see himself as a full person without a woman. He believes that â€Å"women are going to save [him], lead [him] through to a better life, that they can change and redeem [him].† (63) Rob is basically willing to be whatever his woman wants of him. Even his relationship with Sarah Kendrew was one of convenience because he had no one else, and wanted to feel equal to his companion. Charlie had made him feel inadequate and less of a person than her, so his relationship with Sarah was one where he had someone to lean on through his time of getting over her. Sarah made it easier for him because she was going through the same situation. They were just staying together to have someone to lean on, and not be alone. He was her moment just as Charlie was mine, and when they split, Sarah had sworn off men for a while, just as I had sworn off women. It made sense to swear off together, to pool our loathing of the opposite sex and get to share a bed with someone at the same time. Our friends were all paired off, our careers seemed to have hardened into permanence, we were frightened of being left alone for the rest of our lives. (29) Rob just couldn’t handle being alone. It was easy for him to make the relationship with Sarah work because she felt the same, and had the same problems he did. His weak character leads him to depend on woman to keep him happy and satisfied. Rob was also a very judgmental and critical person. His views on music could not be challenged, as he also evaluated woman according to their musical interests and favorite movies. His views were a little harsh sometimes, and he believed he was quite educated in certain areas, which therefore lead to his many judgments. I’d say there were millions like me, but there aren’t, really: lots of blokes have impeccable music taste but don’t read, lots of blokes read but are really fat, lots of blokes are sympathetic to feminism but have stupid beards, lots of blokes have a Woody Allen sense of humor but look like Woody Allen. Lots of blokes drink too much, lots of blokes behave stupidly when they drive cars, lots of blokes get into fights, or show off about money, or take drugs. I don’t do any of these things really; if I do OK with women, it’s not because of the virtues I have, but because of the shadows I don’t have. (28) Rob makes a comment on every possible singer, songwriter, actress/actor he can. His critical attitude makes him look like a jerk. He acts above the people he criticizes to make him feel better about himself. He has a judgment on everything. Besides being critical to himself, he’s critical to the world around him because he is miserable. He sees the negative in everything which makes him as opinionated as he is. His frustration makes him angry at everything and everyone around him. All and all, Rob’s depressive, dependent, self-conscious and critical attitudes demonstrate that he has a weak character. His pessimism leads to his depression, as his low self-esteem leads to his criticisms. He has a very miserable life because he doesn’t even live up to his own standards. He depends on a woman to make him happy, which is completely unrealistic. Rob will never manage to be happy because he always manages to criticize and demean everything that’s going on around him.

Examining Race-Related Aspects of James Cameron’s Avatar

Examining The Race-Related Aspects Of Avatar While evident that many who saw the film Avatar were more than satisfied with it visually, I found it interesting that I heard little about the plot or characters. After all, as a writer, these elements, to me, are what make or break the outcome. After going to see the critically acclaimed film, I was left with a blatant feeling of injustice regarding the film’s race issues. The problem I had with the film is the concept of a white male entering into a world of ethnic people (in this case, aliens), with the sole intent of using them for his own personal gain.Not only has this all too familiar story been used again and again, but also, the outcome is always the same. While I do not believe that the film endorses racism, I do believe that certain racial ideologies play a major role in the film. Whilst some may argue against that point, by simply breaking down the story, it is simple to make the connections. Regardless of if it was int entional or not, there are some obvious racial undertones in Avatar, and they should not be ignored no matter how impressive the graphics are.In the specific clip I have chosen to analyze, Jake, the human who joins the Na’vi to fight against his own kind, has returned to Pandora after being labeled a traitor and losing the trust of the Na’vi. To gain it back, he immediately tames a Toruk, a red dragon who the natives are very fearful of. The dragon had never been tamed by anyone from the Na’vi clan. The ability and heroism just spewing from Jake makes it seem as though he is the only one with the answers that the Na’vi need to save Pandora. The scene transitions to the clan praying to the Hometree, despite their knowledge of the tree having never â€Å"taken sides†.In the midst of all of this, Jake comes flying down on the red dragon, the sun beaming behind him, illuminating his path. Then comes the very demeaning imagery of Jake dismounting the dr agon in front of the Na’vi, while they practically bow to and worship him as if to say, â€Å"You are superior to us, after all! † Jake certainly assumes as much, because he soon starts yelling about how this is â€Å"our† land, and they need to do what he says to save it. While watching the film, I first began drawing a lot of parallels to class discussions of how Columbus and the Spaniards conquered America. In Avatar, human corporation is mining a valuable mineral on Pandora, an Earth-like moon that is inhabited by the Na’vi, an â€Å"alien† race. In the late 1400’s, despite also having discovered an entire race of people, the Spanish found gold in America and began mining.Once it became difficult for them, they enforced slavery upon the natives of the land, and mercilessly killed them upon resistance. In the article Sex And Conquest: Domination And Desire On Ethnosexual Frontiers, Joane Nagel reminds us of the â€Å"relative powerlessne ss of many native women, and reports that sexual exchanges were often coerced, involving rape, forced prostitution, and slavery. In Avatar, the human scientists uncover that underneath Hometree, the Na’vi clan’s dwelling, lies the richest deposits of the mineral that they value, and by the end of the film, are ready to destroy it and its’ inhabitants. This, to me, is an example of racism in how the humans were willing to treat the Na’vi (kill them) in order to acquire more â€Å"gold†. While elements are different, Columbus’ conquest of America strays not so far from the plot that drives Avatar: a â€Å"civilized† race relentlessly compromises what they deem to be an â€Å"uncivilized† race.It can even relate to how American factories are built in foreign countries to avoid specific labor laws. As Americans, how can we justify that the people working in foreign countries assembling our iPhones are equal to us? If so, wouldnâ₠¬â„¢t we demand that they deserve equal pay? The ideology of the self-righteous, superior race and their ultimate disregard for all others is, sadly, an overused theme present in this film and our audiences should be seeing less of it.Despite all â€Å"humans† being expelled from Pandora in the end, a white male, in this case, Jake, Avatar’s protagonist, gets to be the boss in the end. In exchange, he gives up his body, his culture, and every â€Å"human† aspect about him. The one thing he fails to let go of is his superiority. With the film ending like this, and not allowing one of the original Na’vi to ultimately prevail, a subconscious message is being delivered. Just like in Dances With Wolves, a white male goes native and soon ends up as the great leader.In just three months of immersion in their culture, Jake learns enough about the Na'vi (their folkways, their animal-taming skills, and even the secret to their ultimate test of warrior prowess, some thing no other Na'vi has mastered in five generations) to become their leader in their struggle against genocide by his own former allies. Hometree even answers a prayer of Jake’s, and she had never answered prayers of the natives, her own people, even once before then. An interesting contrast is set up to disguise the fact that Jake’s character is representative of racism.On one side, there are the power-hungry, militaristic humans who show no moral restraint against the Na’vi. Their opposition is Jake and the rest of the humans who want peace with the natives. While the first group is presented as obviously racist, most would draw the conclusion that the second group, the protagonists, must not be. While the characters themselves are not racist, the age-old â€Å"white Messiah† fable is. This story has played out in American race politics several times. Progressive, liberal white males were responsible for Indian â€Å"removal† and â€Å"schooli ng† replacing Indian genocide, and segregation replacing slavery.Each time, it seems that supporters of progressive policies just have to say, â€Å"Look, I’m progressive. I’m not like those old-fashioned racists,† and then they simply cannot be deemed as racist. This is the trend in our society that the outcome of Avatar is glorifying. Forms of racial supremacy have been changed over time, but have never been ended altogether. To be fair to the â€Å"humans† of Avatar, the Na'vi and their entire planet ended up regarding the humans as a disease with which there can be no peaceful existence.Their solution is, simply, the expulsion of humanity from the planet, or in Jake's case, culture transfusion. Forced assimilation with the native culture in Avatar is almost too familiar to how their still exists an ideology in America that â€Å"foreign† residents must assimilate to the â€Å"white† culture. Forgotten is that every white citizen of America is descendant of some foreign culture. America should be a melting pot for all cultures, and if James Cameron, the director, producer and writer of Avatar, had truly agreed, perhaps the outcome of the film would be different.So did James Cameron write and direct this because he is a racist white male? No. But does James Cameron even acknowledge that his film carries racist undertones? No. The casting for the film had his seal of approval, so why were actors of color used to portray the Na’vi people? The Na'vi may be tall, blue aliens, but they seem to resemble the noble savages in older Hollywood movies: they're played by actors of color, they live a primitive lifestyle in harmony with nature, they sport tattoos and dreadlocks and exotic jewelry, and they have courage and athleticism but not necessarily rationality or ambition.Most importantly, why does white Australian Sam Worthington star as the cultural infiltrator? Cameron has more than once stated that Avatar is meant to encourage people to respect each other’s cultures and differences, and while that may be the overt meaning, he fails to touch on the issue of racial superiority. Again, Cameron did not sit down and consciously make a decision to write a racist film. However, he did indirectly use the film to express his white liberal understanding of anti-racism. Really, his views are just a kindler, gentler, more patronizing racism.If not, perhaps the Na’vi would have saved Jake instead of being incapable of saving themselves. Avatar doesn’t ask the moral question of â€Å"Should the natives be conquered? † It asks, â€Å"How should the natives be conquered? † Had the film been written and directed by a person of color instead, there may have been an opportunity to avoid this. Columbia College professor Kristin Pichaske’s excerpt, Historical And Political Framework: Race, Colonialism And African Cinema discusses how most filmmakers are Western whi te males who control the portrayal of Africans, or minorities, in cinema.In addition to holding the purse strings, Western interests controlled the production infrastructure. As recently as 1993, Diawara would write that Africa lacks film-processing laboratories, sound-dubbing and synchronizing studios, and editing facilities, a fact which significantly limits an African director’s ability to complete a film on his own terms, in his own country and within a reasonable span of time (1993: vii).While this is not universally true at this point (the facilities he describes now being available in South Africa and also rendered somewhat obsolete by the development of high-definition video), it is certainly true that most of Africa suffers from a dearth of film infrastructure and that this creates yet another form of dependence on the West. Having to rely on the West for the skills that they cannot afford, the absence of African directors involved in the depiction of their culture i s blatantly apparent.Perhaps James Cameron was not the right person to direct Avatar, as he cannot truly understand the racial ideology that his film is perpetuating. However, if an African director were given the opportunity, a white Western moneylender who demands that he cater the story to white audiences will undoubtedly be funding him. Present day racist ideologies are best understood when comparing them to Magic Eye images: bizarre images concealing a seemingly hidden, 3-D picture.While some people see the 3-D image right away, others have to look for a while before they can find it. Some people never do find it. However, once you know that the 3-D image is there, you end up wondering how you didn’t see it in the first place. The racism depicted in this film is a lot like a Magic Eye image. It is a fantasy story about race told from a white man’s perspective, for white people. I believe this to be true after simply looking at the history of Cameron’s films : Titanic, Aliens, and The Terminator all contained predominantly white casts.Had he intended his films to be seen by a racially diverse audience, I’m sure he would have had enough common sense to diversify his cast of characters. Avatar is also at the end of a very long history of similar films. Avatar’s storyline has been compared to that of Dances With Wolves and Pocahontas. In all three films, white male characters realize they are unhappy with the treatment of the â€Å"others,† but go beyond assimilating and skip to leading the people who they so recently oppressed.Since there have been so many films spanning all genres telling the same story, when will the white directors begin to use the issue of race in a different light? African-American scholar Donald Bogle, who literally wrote the book on how black people have been portrayed throughout Hollywood history (Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies ;amp; Bucks: An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films) says that while not overtly racist, it is â€Å"a movie that hasn't yet freed itself of old Hollywood traditions, old formulas. If I were to have written a film like Avatar, I would have made the Na’vi completely capable of saving themselves by reversing the power roles of Jake with the clan. It would mean straying from an age-old format, but also, challenging the racial insecurities of the white audience that the film was intended for. Would the film be as popular if the natives of Pandora did not possess traditional, savage-like qualities? The juxtaposition of the film Avatar with historical events such as Columbus onquering America, and also, overused tales of the white protagonist bringing a race of â€Å"savages† to victory predates most steps towards civil rights equality. Filmmakers of minority races are far and few between, and are often funded by white Westerners when directing. With every film in Hollywood being produced by the â€Å"white man†, will our society ever see things from the point of view of a minority race? If no, then Hollywood’s inability to realize that the decision to continue producing the same point of view is interfering with our society’s ability to think outside of racial boundaries. | | | | | |

critical com Essay

critical com Essay critical com Essay CRITICAL COMMUNICATION EVENTS Organizational Communication – BADM 6123 Master in Business Administration Group 127 Southern Nazarene University Kep Keoppel PhD Kouassi Atse Sekedes Christian B.K 11/12/2013 It is hard to focus now on my life since I learned that one should think more about what one can give to others than on how much one can take from them. Similarly, it is even harder to measure one’s human quality using quantitative rationalistic criteria. However, I have intervened for six months in a structure called Orange Telecom France that provides Network Services and where I was in charge of accommodating customers and offering logistic maintenance. Most of my actual skills have been acquired during this intensive work, when I was in charge to identify, evaluate, introduce new carriers and providers which offer services that could be benefit for Orange Telecom and coordinate with internal teams to prepare and submit service orders. After a several amount of time I have been promoted team leader of my group. The issue happened one day when I was doing my work during a meeting. Unfortunately I was left in charge of fixing a computer issue while the responsible for the IT department was not around. I was forced to use my skills of training to fix it or it will mess up the whole meeting. I have been helped with the IT assistants but they did not come up with something new so I came up with a solution and everything start going well over. This was a successful, memorable incident for me to accomplish something so difficult. I was so proud of myself because when the manager came back he was extremely impressed for what I did. The lesson is that when you think something is too much for you to handle, you can always overcome your fears and accomplish your goals. Before I got employed in that company, I have attended so many times to the meetings when the company was showcased the new products and services that

Mary Osgood Biography

Mary Osgood Biography Known for:  accused of witchcraft, arrested and imprisoned in the 1692  Salem witch trials Age at time of Salem witch trials:  about 55 Dates:  about 1637 to October 27, 1710 Also known as: Mary Clements Osgood, Clements was also written as Clement Before the Salem Witch Trials We have little information other than basic civil records for Mary Osgood before 1692. She was born in in Warwickshire, England and came to Andover, Massachusetts province in about 1652. In 1653, she married John Osgood Sr. who had been born in Hampshire, England and arrived in Massachusetts about 1635.  John Osgood owned considerable land in Andover and was a successful husbandman. They had 13 children together: John Osgood Jr. (1654-1725), Mary Osgood Aslett (1656-1740), Timothy Osgood (1659-1748), Lydia Osgood Frye (1661-1741), Constable Peter Osgood (1663-1753), Samuel Osgood (1664-1717), Sarah Osgood (1667-1667), Mehitable Osgood Poor (1671-1752), Hannah Osgood (1674-1674), Sarah Osgood Perley (1675-1724), Ebenezer Osgood (1678-1680), Clarence Osgood (1678-1680), and Clements Osgood (1680-1680). Accused and Accuser Mary Osgood was one of a group of Andover women arrested in early September, 1692. According to a petition after the trials were over, two of the afflicted girls were summoned to Andover to diagnose an illness of Joseph Ballard and his wife.  Local residents, including Mary Osgood, were blindfolded and then made to lay hands on the afflicted. If the girls fell down in fits, they were arrested.  Mary Osgood, Martha Tyler, Deliverance Dane, Abigail Barker, Sarah Wilson, and Hannah Tyler were taken to Salem Village, immediately examined there, and pressured to confess.  Most did.  Mary Osgood confessed to afflicting Martha Sprague and Rose Foster as well as various other deeds. She implicated others including Goody Tyler (either Martha or Hannah), Deliverance Dane, and Goody Parker.  She also implicated Rev. Francis Dean who was never arrested. Motives for Her Arrest She was accused with a group of women from Andover. They may have been targeted because of their wealth, power, or success in town, or because of association with Rev. Francis Dane (his daughter-in-law Deliverance Dane was in the group arrested and examined together). Fight for Release Her son, Peter Osgood, was a constable who, with Mary’s husband, Captain John Osgood Sr., helped pursue her case and get her released. On October 6, John Osgood Sr. joined with Nathaniel Dane, husband of Deliverance Dane, to pay 500 pounds for the release of two children of Nathaniel’s sister, Abigail Dane Faulkner.  On October 15, John Osgood Sr. and John Bridges paid a bond of 500 pounds for the release of Mary Bridges Jr. In January, John Osgood Jr. joined again with John Bridges, paying a bond of 100 pounds, for release of Mary Bridges Sr. In a petition, undated but probably from January, more than 50 Andover neighbors signed on behalf of Mary Osgood, Eunice Fry, Deliverance Dane, Sarah Wilson Sr., and Abigail Barker, attesting to their likely innocence and their integrity and piety. The petition stressed that their confessions were made under pressure and were not to be trusted. In June of 1703, another petition was entered on behalf of Martha Osgood, Martha Tyler, Deliverance Dane, Abigail Barker, Sarah Wilson, and Hannah Tyler to gain their exoneration. After the Trials In 1702, Mary Osgood’s son, Samuel, married Deliverance Dane’s daughter Hannah. Marty was later released from jail, probably on bond, and died in 1710.

What does 'Freedom Of The Press' Mean To what extent does it exist in Essay

What does 'Freedom Of The Press' Mean To what extent does it exist in Modern Britain - Essay Example ress freedom surveys, made no mention of it in its constitution whilst North Korea, which does, often ranked the last in such surveys (Press Freedom Index 2010; Freedom of the Press 2010). Press freedom is often equated with democratic societies, but Noam Chomsky believes that there are â€Å"two different conceptions of democracy,† each shaping their own brand of press freedom. The first is participatory democracy where citizens are involved in the workings of the state and thus, communication channels are necessarily kept free and open. However, its antithesis – the non-participatory democracy – keeps people off the business of government affairs and thus, information and communication are controlled by the state. Chomsky believes that the second kind is most prevalent today (Chomsky 2002 pp. 6-7). Chomsky points out the US as a perfect example of the second type. President Wilson, for example, created the Creel Commission to oversee the government’s pro paganda machinery and turn a generally pacifist public into a war-hungry, anti-German fanatics so the US government would be free to join the war unopposed. The same technique was used to whip up the public to a state of red scare so that it would be supportive of the government’s programs of eliminating unions and restricting press and political freedoms. An underlying rationale for â€Å"manufacturing consent† was the notion that the average man cannot fully grasp the intricacies of common political and social interests and thus, his thoughts must be directed. Only the intellectual elite can comprehend them and it must act to bring public opinion towards their fulfillment even if it entails deceiving them. In such types of democracies, press freedom becomes a casualty of the manipulative intellectuals (Chomsky...Even the collapsed Soviet Union guaranteed press freedom in its constitution but it was common knowledge that its press published only what the government wa nted the public to read. An even glaring example is the manipulation of public opinion through the use of propaganda machinery by some of the perceived freest countries in the world for the purpose of legitimising their social and political agenda with the least opposition. Moreover, the history of press freedom shows that it always entails a form of struggle between the system and the press. The UK is no exception. The history of press freedom in the country is checkered with the Church and the Crown alternatively suppressing it in the name of religion or the King. Even in contemporary times, when the country is considered one of the freest democracies in the world, the complete exercise of press freedom is hindered by legislations or policies that lean more towards the promotion of other interests. The often underpinning rationale for the obstacles of press freedom is the ever-present contending interests between the private and the public and between the government. Even in the f reest of nations, press freedom surrenders a part of it to conflicting interests that are at play in the social, legal and political make-up of the state. Absolute press freedom, therefore, is almost always non-existent; only diluted and compromised press freedom.